Navy Officer Jailed in Japan for Deadly Car Crash Transferred to U.S. Custody
A Navy officer who was serving a three-year prison sentence in Japan for a deadly car crash that killed two Japanese citizens has been transferred into U.S. custody and is being returned to the United States, according to his family.
Lt. Ridge Alknois pleaded guilty to the negligent driving deaths of an elderly woman and her son-in-law in May 2021. He had been serving his sentence for 507 days before being transferred back to the United States.
The family, based in Dana Point, California, expressed their relief at the news but stated that they cannot celebrate until Lt. Ridge Alkonis has been reunited with them.
It is currently unclear where in the U.S. Alkonis is heading. There is also uncertainty regarding whether he might be required to spend any additional time behind bars upon his arrival in the country under the terms of his transfer from Japan.
The family expressed their gratitude towards the U.S. government for facilitating the transfer and expressed hope that an impartial set of judiciary eyes will review Lt. Ridge Alkonis' case for the first time.
The family expressed confidence that the Biden administration, once presented with all the facts and circumstances of the case, will recognize the absurdity of Ridge's conviction. They believe that he abruptly lost consciousness while driving due to acute mountain sickness, a medical emergency, and did not fall asleep while drowsy. U.S. Navy doctors also support this conclusion. However, Japanese prosecutors and the judge who sentenced him argue that he fell asleep and failed to pull over immediately. Notably, Alkonis was never examined by Japanese authorities. Brittany Alkonis, the Navy officer's wife, stated that her husband was alert and not tired leading up to the crash. She had hoped for political intervention from the United States to prevent his imprisonment, but at the time, the U.S. Embassy had only been monitoring the case.
A Tragic Incident on Mount Fuji
In the spring of 2021, a Southern California native was getting ready for a deployment on the USS Benfold, a missile destroyer, after completing some land-based assignments.
On May 29, 2021, the individual and their family embarked on a trip to Mount Fuji for hiking and sightseeing. After climbing a portion of the mountain, they were driving back to have lunch and ice cream near the base of Mount Fuji.
During the drive, the individual suddenly lost consciousness behind the wheel while talking with their 7-year-old daughter. Despite her efforts to wake them up and the subsequent collision, the individual remained unresponsive.
Following the accident near Fujinomiya, Japanese authorities arrested the individual and held them in solitary confinement at a police detention facility for 26 days. They were interrogated multiple times a day and were not provided with any medical treatment or evaluation.
When American authorities arrived to take the individual into custody and return them to a U.S. base, they were already being held by the Japanese.
The individual was eventually indicted on a charge of negligent driving resulting in death and was sentenced to three years in prison.
After the sentencing, Alkonis' family had sought to keep the case in the public spotlight, including by gathering outside the White House. President Joe Biden also raised the case during a meeting last May with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.
Alkonis is a specialist in underseas warfare and acoustic engineering who at the time of the crash had spent nearly seven years in Japan as a civilian volunteer and naval officer.
